Astrid Duskblood
Astrid Duskblood is the deceased human mother of the Half-Elf Xeville, who is one of the main six heroes. She was a professional assassin who used her occupation as a courtesan as a means of reaching high-profile targets. Appearance From what little Xeville has learned about Astrid from a talk with one of the members of the Duskblood family, Astrid shared many similarities with Half-Elven son. Like Xeville, she had bright, silver hair and a pale, moonlike complexion. She and her son also shared their deep purple eyes. While King Kythal of Qimyar was also moderately tall, Xeville got his immense height from his mother, who many would often describe as an Amazon. Personality While Astrid may have not been as "finely-formed" as some other royal courtesans, her personality while in character was seductive enough to make up for it. Few nobles could resist her charm, providing many openings for the secret workings of the Human. In actuality, Astrid was a champion of the goddess Calistria (a trait that her son would later share with her, albeit for different reasons). While some championed Calistria as a means of attaining vengeance, Astrid had her own motive: she simply lived for the thrill of the kill. Ever since she was a child, Astrid felt most at ease when shedding the blood of others, a problem that eventually led to her falling out with the rest of the Duskblood Clan. Despite her bloodlust, she was still shown to be very caring. After the King of Qimyar caused her to give birth to a Half-Elven child, she developed a much more motherly side. Unfortunately, this side of her wasn't given much time to cultivate, as she was separated from her son after only a few months together. Backstory and Importance During Campaign Around 35 years prior to the beginning of the campaign, Astrid traveled to the capitol of Qimyar on a mission, but caught the eye of the lustful king Kythal. Astrid was forced into giving birth to his bastard, although Kyhal did try and protect the courtesan. Unfortunately his wife, Arlina, found out about the affair and sent the assassin, Redd Baron, after Astrid and her son. Astrid managed to save the life of her son, only losing his eye in the process. She fought off Baron, but suffered a grave wounded in the process. Astrid died after sending Xeville to her family in the White City, hoping that they might take him in. Astrid is very rarely even mentioned during the events of the campaign. During the fight with Baron, the Avatar of Wrath taunts Xeville with various remarks about the death of both Veral and Astrid, alluding to Baron's identity as the Count of Blood-Briar. After Xeville allowed Kyelina to study Baron's amulet, and the two talked about Xeville's possible existence as Kythal's bastard, Xeville heard a whisper, thanking him for finally putting her spirit at ease. It is to be assumed that this was Astrid's way of giving her son the closure he needed.